A roar of applause broke out at the sealing of their marriage. Robin couldn't help but feel envious of Chrom. The Prince kissed his wife at the altar, kindly presided over by Libra. Lissa cried tears of joy, Vaike jeered, and the other Shepherds-save for Tharja-all roared in reply. Further back into the church, the invited Nobles and guests from other countries clapped politely.
Sumia had almost fainted after her official marriage to Chrom, and out of pure luck had not even tripped once in her wedding dress. Robin smiled form his position as best man. Vaike had some initial concerns about not being the best man, and Robin was required to duel him for it. Robin had left Vaike flat on his back, and he had only suffered a scratch across his arm.
When everything calmed down, it was time to eat. Gaius had happily grabbed the second slice of cake, and soon after a fourth and fifth. Maribelle reprimanded the thief, yet he had worn the same carefree smile the whole time.
Nowi and Ricken happily downed bite after bite, apparently a competition between the two. All other Shepherds gave even more congratulations and gifts, and the night was in complete good spirits. What truly caught Robin's eye however, was the bridesmaid Cordelia. As Sumia's closest friend, she was graced with the position. It was no small feat, as it was the royal wedding, first to take place in over two decades.
Robin couldn't help but eye up the redhead knight from the corner of his eye the whole ceremony, and he was sure he caught Tharja's eye in doing so. He shuddered to think of the dark mage's wrath. Cordelia wore a tight-fitting purple dress, elegant in every way. When she strode onto the altar, Robin could feel his face turning red and his heart beat uncontrollably.
Thinking about her, Robin hadn't seen Cordelia since they had moved into the dining-slash-dance room. He cast a glance across the Shepherd's tables, not seeing the knight anywhere. He shrugged and went back to his food, eager to down the fine royal food.
Vaike sat down beside the tactician, plate stacked high with food. Robin smiled and made small talk with Vaike, curiously enough how the man seemed to be interested in the Prince's little sister.
"You will die Vaike." Robin said with a laugh, enjoying the man's unintentional squirming. "Heya, the Teach knows ol' Chrom. He wouldn't dare try to fight me!" He proudly proclaimed while hitting a fist off his chest.
Robin raised an eyebrow, "Hasn't Chrom beaten you almost every time you duel?" He asked with genuine curiosity. Around the Shepherds, Vaike was known as a dangerous foe. Yet only Robin seemed to remember the weapon triangle, a code that all tacticians knew. He provided this information to the blond brawler many times before, yet the man ignored Robin at every pass. Proclaimed that, "His might was superior," or something along those lines.
"Hey Robin," Vaike said with a jab to his side, "How goes your romantic adventures?" Robin sighed and put his silver fork down. "Vaike...what romantic adventures?" The blond snorted. "I mean...we all saw you eye up Cordelia when you were waiting for Sumia to come down the aisle." Vaike said with a devilish grin.
"Speaking of Cordelia..." Vaike trailed off, unusually quiet. Robin then knew something was wrong, Vaike was usually loud and obnoxious. "What about her?" Robin asked too quickly. "Well, I saw her rush out earlier, she looked really sad." Those were all the words Robin needed, and against all his better judgment, he headed out to find the redhead knight.
Robin stepped out into one of the many side courtyards. The moon shone down and cast the small ponds and flowers in a blue-white light, perfect for a wedding near the end of the day. Robin wasn't one for such matters, but the more he looked around the more he realized that it was absolutely romantic here.
Looking around, what he found made his breathing stop. Sitting on a bench across the courtyard, Cordelia looked into the pond. Her shoes laid discarded beside her as she traced the water's edge with her bare toes.
As Robin approached her from behind, he couldn't help but admire the way her scarlet hair flowed down her back. The woman was purely captivating.
Robin cleared his throat. Cordelia jumped at first, but relaxed. For the first time she turned to face him, a sad smile on her face. The knight's eyes were red, and small tracks of what was obliviously tears lined her cheeks. "Hello, Robin." Cordelia sniffled out. Her appearance broke Robin's heart, he never wanted to see her so sad. Even if he knew the reason why she had become so forlorn and withdrawn tonight.
Robin gestured towards the bench, "Do you mind?" Cordelia shook her head and Robin took a seat beside her. It was quiet, the two looking out over the small pond. Small ripples broke the mirrored surface occasionally from Cordelia's foot, breaking the image of the two sitting on the bench.
The tactician sighed quietly and faced his crush. "Cordelia..." He trailed off, unsure how to word it. The knight looked up at him with large, sad eyes. Robin grimaced internally. "I know why you are sad...and hiding out here." He spoke softly.
The knight shook her head and let out a depressed chuckle."It's kinda funny, isn't it Robin?" She spoke while flicking some water with her toes. "I have always chased after that man...and he ignored me. But when Sumia had truly, and literally, fallen for him he bowed his head and bent the knee to her. My best friend, getting with my crush...it makes me feel like I wasted all my life chasing something that was so unattainable." She spoke with another passive-aggressive flick to the water.
"I know what you mean, Cordelia." Robin muttered. Thankfully, she didn't hear it or chose to ignore the comment. Robin couldn't tell which. Robin wrapped a reassuring arm over her shoulders, hoping that he wouldn't end up blushing like a fool or stumbling over his words.
The knight-captain let Robin hold her, and she even leaned into his embrace. With one choking sob, she collapsed into his chest and wept. Tears marred the tactician's regal attire, but he didn't care. He stroked her ruby hair as she sobbed into his chest.
"I...am so...done...with that man!" Cordelia choked out between gasps of air, pounding her fist against Robin's leg. Robin couldn't help but chuckle at that and smiled. The knight finally calmed down and stopped her sobbing, She rested her head up against the tactician's chest.
Robin had originally planned to never say these words out loud. Only a few people knew about his predicament, but here in this moment, Robin couldn't help but speak his mind.
"I love you..."
I his arms, Cordelia stopped breathing. The complete stillness from her scared Robin. Had he gone too far? He definitely messed it up. Oh gods, now what? He would have to avoid Cordelia at all times. He could always just shut himself in his chambers at the palace, completing his work in utter separation from her...and thoughts of her.
The redhead stirred in his arms. She turned and looked up at him with large eyes. Robin turned his gaze away to the garden at his left. He could feel her gaze piercing into his being, as if she was evaluating his very soul. Robin supposed she was looking for truth in the words.
He felt a warm, soft hand push his face back to facing her. Robin suddenly realized how close the two were and blushed a shade darker. Cordelia also had a light dusting of pink adorning her cheeks, but Robin was unsure if that was a good sign or not.
Her eyes seemed very large, the red seeming to glow in the night. Cordelia opened her mouth, then closed it, unsure of what to say. Robin decided enough was enough and he gently moved the knight to the side and he stood. "I-I'm sorry..." He spoke awkwardly and took a few steps back towards the castle interior.
The tactician heard the shuffling of fabric and padded footsteps on the grass., but he ignored it and picked up the pace. He didn't want to deal with this anymore, for now it was just a 'Get out' mindset before anything else went wrong.
A firm grip spun the tactician around to see Cordelia still without shoes. Robin noticed that she was quite short without her heels. Perhaps that was why she seemed to tall in combat, always on the back of her pegasus and wearing her combat grieves.
"I-I..." Cordelia fumbled with her words, which surprised Robin. Usually the knight was quite eloquent and to the point, whereas now she acted almost like a giddy schoolgirl. The knight blushed as she spoke, "I...Thank you. I thought that I would be alone forever...but maybe..." She trailed off in embarrassment.
"Maybe we could give it a shot?" Robin purposed. He winced, where did that come from? Usually the tactician was more reserved, yet now...he seemed to be inspired.
Cordelia smiled. The tactician's heart skipped a beat. "Yeah, let's try it out." She nodded. The two stood in silence for a moment before hearing loud footsteps approaching from the entrance of the courtyard.
Both turned to see Frederick the wary standing stiff as a board. The knight coughed and crossed his arms behind his back. "Robin, you are required to give your best man's speech in a moment." He spoke with a commanding officer's tone. Robin scratched the back of his head, he didn't want to just leave Cordelia behind now.
"W-well...looks like Chrom needs me..." Robin said sheepishly. The knight gave him a hard stare as she turned and marched back to the bench she previously occupied. Robin knew that had hit close to home. For her to just drop all her feelings at once for the prince and then suddenly have him, at the start of their new relationship, whisked away to be at Chrom's side. It was not right.
Robin sighed. "Frederick...tell him I have other priorities right now." The tactician said with a hint of a smile. "Robin, it is customary for the best man to give a heartfelt speech about our lord on his wedding day!" The knight declared in a firm tone.
The white-haired man chuckled. "Well Frederick, it seems as though you will give a truly wonderful speech on behalf of myself. I trust that you would have prepared for such an occasion?"
Frederick reached into his formal tunic and withdrew a small piece of paper. With a nod and the ever-so-small smile, the knight marched back into the castle. Robin let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Robin lightly jogged back to the bench, where Cordelia was back to dipping her toes in the water. He took a seat beside her. The knight looked at him and seemed surprised that he had returned. "I thought that your lord Chrom needed you?" Cordelia spoke sarcastically, a distinct pang of hurt resounding behind her venomous words.
Robin shook his head. "If we are ever going to get this," Robin said while gesturing to the two of them, "To work, we need to get him out of the way." Robin took a deep breath. "I know that you...may still hold feelings for him. I accept that, but I need to know that you would have...room...for myself. I'm trying not to seem selfish, but I couldn't live like that. Having your heart split in two...I would just be...the substitute for him."
Cordelia raised her head closer to the tactician. "You are certainly not a substitute. You are the one person to truly..." Her face ignited with a deep red blush, "...captivate me..." Robin dropped his jaw. His heart beat faster. He couldn't contain the pure joy, excitement, and relief that flooded though him like a dam breaking. Robin let the joyous smile shine through and to his relief, she smmiled as well.
"Now then," Cordelia continued, "You did say something about getting him out of the way?" She said with a sly grin. Robin lifted his arms up, "Nothing dastardly I assure you," Robin paused, thinking of how to word it. Around them, stars began to twinkle in the sky.
Clouds passed over the moon, casting elegant rays of light down onto the Ylissian Palace. Robin took a deep breath. "Chrom...seems to be important to both of us for different reasons. So...what I purpose is to...put him to the side." Cordelia turned her head to the right, her ruby hair draping over her pale shoulder. She took a silent breath in, "So...to put each other first and foremost, above the needs of a king?"
Robin nodded. Cordelia smiled and hugged him tightly, "Yes...that sounds like the perfect plan, Mr. Strategy."
Deep within the palace, a band started up. Drifting sounds of elegant music wafted through the air towards the couple, giving Cordelia an idea. Without a word she pulled the tactician to his feet and led him to the center of the courtyard. "Shall we dance?" She asked in a false noble tone. Robin smiled in return and bowed, "My lady, I would be absolutely delighted."
Within that castle courtyard framed by serene moonlight and glowing flowers, the couple shared their first dance, and a first kiss.